La Cieca
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
I sat through the Met’s Ring twice, and it never occurred to me that any thought had gone into it at all.
Anna Netrebko and a ten-kilo evening cloak perform “In questa reggia,” complete and live!
Finally the postponed Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg takes to the web today.
“But mostly they were intoxicated with each other.”
Jarrett Ott performs the Kenneth Fuchs monodrama Falling Man tonight at the at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
“He towered over the listless supporting cast like Daniel Day-Lewis guest-starring in a marionette show.”
“Elvira, for whom Mozart reserved his gentlest, most compassionate music…”
A big “thank you” to the lovely advertisers who help keep parterre.com afloat.
La Cieca thought you, the cher public, might enjoy the return of some classic episodes of Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Not Verdi but Elton John. Oops!
“The antagonistic themes of Aida seem to have spilled into the wings after a student production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera was cancelled amid a row over suggestions of ‘cultural appropriation’.”
In tonight’s performance of L’Italiana in Algeri, surely any shipwrecks will be confined to the plot.
Theater Basel offers its first livestream ever, of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s rarely performed Donnerstag aus Licht.
“Jonas Kaufmann est contraint de se retirer de la production des Contes d’Hoffmann à l’Opéra Bastille.”
A big chunk of the last act of Norma.
“In this offbeat production, Guglielmo and Ferrando disguise themselves as Van Johnson and Van Heflin, respectively.”
As afternoon fades into evening, confide in each other, cher public, in La Casa della Cieca.
“Elektra. Staatsoper in Schiller Theater. 23 October 2016. . . . DIE VERTRAUTE/DIE AUFSEHERIN Cheryl Studer“
The first “La Casa della Cieca” chat of the 2016-2017 season features Diana Damrau.
“Just as every downtown shopping street in every major American city now features the same familiar retailers’ names, New York City Opera has no particular artistic identity different from, say, Opera Carolina.”
“Paul Appleby will sing the role of Don Ottavio in this season’s September and October performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, replacing Rolando Villazón, who has withdrawn due to illness.”
“International opera superstar Anna Netrebko comes to The Greene Space for an exclusive interview and performance.”
In the October 2016 issue of Cosmopolitan, lissome Laverne Cox pays tribute to some of her personal idols , including Tina Turner, Josephine Baker and, in a particularly breathtaking bit of visual transformation, the first African-American prima donna of the Metropolitan Opera.
La Cieca is delighted to note that the Royal Opera, Covent Garden has decided to follow the successful lead of so many American opera companies.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
